5 string violins have a
lower C string, so they can play down in viola range as
well as high violin notes.
This instrument was one of the first violins to have midi
capability.
It also has a nice electric tone which lends itself to
Arabic music.

Midi (musical instrument digital interface) is a way that
electric digital instruments like keyboards and drum
machines can send signals to each other. This violin can be
connected to a computer and the notes you play on the
violin get translated into a signal that can trigger other
sounds... so you can play something on violin, and a sound
comes out that is just about any other instrument.